Hand strap



April 3, 1951 E. c. M ERSEREAL J 2,547,483

HAND STRAP Filed July 23, 1949 3 M17 @/3 9 I I -35 Al INVENTOR.

37/5 J5 /6 v Y (/6 Z3 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 3, 1951 HAND STRAP Everard C. Mersereau, Westfield, N. J., assignor to The Ellcon Company, a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1949, Serial No. 106,341

7 Claims.

This invention relates to hand straps ofthe kind usually provided in subway, elevated, and surface passenger cars to serve as hand holds for standing passengers. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel hand strap, which is superior to those now in common use in that it has a long life, requires less maintenance, and canbe easily disassembled and repaired, when necessary, without being removed from the car.

One type of hand strap now in wide use comprises a bracket attached to the car structure and a hanger pivotally mounted on the bracket and held in retracted position by a spring. The pivot pin of the hanger is connected to the latter by a locking pin and one end of the spring bears against the bracket, while the other enters an opening in the pivot pin. The spring is of relatively light wire and it is maintained under initial tension in order that it may exert the desired force on the hanger. In the installation of the hanger, it is, accordingly, necessary that the pivot pin be rotated to wind up the spring to place it under the desired tension, after which the locking pin is driven through aligned openings in the hanger and pivot pin. The tension, to which the springs of such hand straps are continuously subjected, results in frequent breakage of the springs. Also it is frequently necessary to remove the hanger, so that the hand loop,

which it carries, may be refinished, as by enameling. The difiiculties of removing and replacing a hanger with the incidental winding up of the spring are such that, when a spring is broken and must be replaced or the hand loop needs refinishing, it would be desirable to remove the entire assembly from the car. However, in many cars, the nuts on the bolts holding the bracket in place are inaccessible, so that the hanger must be removed and replaced, while the bracket remains in place. The operations are, accordingly, involved, laborious and time consuming, so that maintenance of the prior hand strap is expensive.

The hand strap of the invention is constructed to overcome the disadvantages of the prior hand strap above described and it includes a relatively heavy spring, which is not under any substantial initial tension. The hanger of the new strap may be readily removed and replaced without removing the entire assembly from the car and the removal and replacement of the hanger may be efiected without the use of tools. The new hand strap is-also constructed so that it may be made of parts of hand straps now in use but which have become worn and are about to require re-,

placement.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view of the new hand strap in side elevation,

Fig. 2 is a view of the hand strap in front elevation,

Fig. 3 is a view of the hand strap in rear elevation,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views on lines 5-5 and 66, respectively, of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a detailed sectional view on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

The new hand strap, as illustrated in the drawing, includes a bracket l0 provided at its upper end with a plate !l, by which the bracket may be attached to a suitable portion I2 of the car structure. The bracket is provided at its lower end with a pair of spaced lugs l3 and [4 having openings l5 for the reception of the ends of a pivot pin [6; The pin has an enlarged end I! of substantially the same diameter as the openings i5 in the bracket lugs, while the remainder of the pin is of reduced diameter. Bracket lug 13, receiving the small end of the pin, is provided with a bushing I8 of a thickness sufiicient tomake up the difference between the diameter of the reduced portion of the pin and the diameter of the hole in the lug. Bushing [8 has a peripheral flange (9 which prevents its movement axially through the lug opening in one direction. The bracket is provided with an arcuate shield 29 (Fig. 5), which extends from one lug to another, and also partially around the pin. A screw 2| threaded into a bore in shield 20 has an inner end 22 projecting beyond the surface of the shield and forming an adjustable stop.

A hanger 23, which terminates in the usual handle loop 24, is mounted rotatably on the-pin 66. At its upper end, the hanger is formed with spaced lugs 25 having aligned openings, in which are mounted bushings 26 through which the pin extends. Each bushing 26 has a peripheral flange 21 which prevents its axial movement, in one di rection, through the hanger lug in which it is mounted. The hanger is additionally provided with an arcuate shield 28 extending throughout the space between its lugs and substantially surrounding the portion of the pin not surrounded by the bradet shield 29.

The pin I6 is encircled by a coil spring 30, one end 3! of whichenters a bore in the bracket shield 20.. The other end 32 of thespring (Fig. 1) is movable and projects radially from the pin to bear normally against stop 2|. A bushing 33 encloses the pin l6 beneath the coil spring and the bushing is made of a metal, such as bronze, which is different from that of which the spring is made, so that there is no squeaking when the spring moves relative to the pin.

The pivot pin has a radial bore 35 in its shouldered end II, in which is mounted a lock pin 36 urged outwardly by a spring 3?. The adjacent bracket lug 54 has a corresponding radial bore 38 to receive the head 39 of the lock pin, so that the latter prevents movement of the pivot pin 16.

In the assembled device, the hanger lugs 25 lie between the bracket lugs I3, 54 and beneath the bracket shield 26. End 3! of spring 36 enters the opening in bracket shield 28 and end 32 of the spring bears against the inner end 22 of the adjustable stop 2i. The edge of the hanger shield engages the end 32 of the spring and the hanger is thereby held in the sloping position shown in Fig. l. The angle, at which a hanger extends can be adjusted slightly by shifting end 32 of-its spring by adjustment of its stop 2!, so that all of the hangers in a row in a car may be aligned. When the strap is used, the passenger grasps the handle loop 24 and ordinarily swings the hanger counter-clockwise, as shown in Fig. 1, to an approximately vertical position. In this movement of the hanger, the edge of the hanger shield 23 engages the end 32 of the spring and causes the spring to wind up slightly. When the handle is released, the spring unwinds and the hanger is restored to its normal sloping position.

If the hand strap must be disassembled for any reason, as, for example, to refinish the handle loop 24, the stop 2! is backed out to disengage the end 32 of the spring. A nail or small rod is then inserted in opening 38 to force the locking pin back into bore 35. The pivot pin 46 can then be readily driven out of the aligned openings in the bracket and hanger lugs. The bushing 33 fitsthe pin relatively loosely and, when the pin is removed, the bushing remains in the interior of spring 30. Re-assembly of the hanger and bracket is as easily accomplished, since it is only necessary to re-insert pin l6 through the aligned openings in the bracket and hanger lugs and through bushing 33 and the spring. In inserting pin [6, the locking pin is lined up with opening 38, so that the end of the locking pin will a.

snap into the opening when the pivot pin has been driven in sufficiently far.

In the new hand strap, the head I? of pivot pin [6 is approximately the same in diameter as the pin employed in the prior hand straps. Accordingly, the bracket and hanger of an old construction maybe employed to make the new hand strap in the folowing manner. The worn openings in the hanger lugs of the old strap are bored out to make them circular and to receive bushings 2B. The opening in bracket lug [3, being of a size to take the head ll of pin is, permits insertion of bushing IS in the opening to receive the small end of pivot pin 56. One of the old bracket lugs has diametrical openings for the locking pin previously used and one of those openings may be employed to receive the end of locking pin St. The conversion to the new construction of an old and worn hand strap of the type heretofore used thus involves a simple machining operation and the original bracket of the old hand strap, and the original hanger when machined as described, may be used indefinitely in the new hand strap, because in the new construction the bushings normally are the only parts subjected to wear.

I claim:

1. In a hand strap, the combination of a bracket having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned opening and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin and having one end anchored in the bracket and the other end being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring, and a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin.

2. In a hand strap, the combination of a bracket having a. pair ofspaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of. the pin having. a diameter substantially equal to that of the. openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushingin the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted'on the pin between the bracket lugs, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin between the hanger lugs and having one end anchored in the bracket and the other end being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said outer end of the spring, and a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin.

3. In a hand strap, the combination of a bracket having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin and having one end anchored in the bracket and the other end being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring, a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin, and a spring-urged pin mounted in the hanger-supporting pin and extending into a radial hole in a bracket lug to prevent movement of the hangersupporting pin.

4. In a hand strap, the combination of a bracket having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin and having one end anchored in the bracket and the other end being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring, and a bushing interposed between the spring and thepin, the bushing in the bracket lug opening and the bushings in the hanger lug openings each having a peripheral flange for preventing axial movement in one direction,

5. In a hand strap, the combination of a brack et having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin and having one end anchored in the bracket and the other end being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring, and a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin, said last-mentioned bushing being made of a different metal from that of which the coil spring is made to thereby prevent squeaking when the coil spring is tensioned.

6. In a hand strap, the combination of abracket having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin and having one end bent radially outwardly and anchored in the bracket and the other end bent radially outwardly and being engageable by a part of the hanger, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring,

and a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin.

7. In a hand strap, the combination of a bracket having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings, a pin having its opposite ends supported in the lug openings, one end of the pin having a diameter substantially equal to that of the openings in the bracket lugs and the remainder of the pin having a reduced diameter, a bushing in the opening of the lug supporting the small end of the pin, a hanger having a pair of spaced lugs provided with aligned openings and mounted on the pin, bushings in the hanger lug openings, a coil spring encircling the pin, a shield supported by the bracket between its lugs and extending from one lug to the other partially surrounding the pin and coil spring, the coil spring having one end anchored in a bore in said shield, a shield supported by the hanger between its lugs and extending from one of said lugs to the other and around the pin and coil spring to substantially cover the portions of them not covered by the bracket shield, the other end of the coil spring being engageable by the hanger shield, a stop on the bracket normally engaged by said other end of the spring, and a bushing interposed between the spring and the pin.

I EVERARD C. MERSEREAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 989,237 Doyle Apr. 11, 1911 1,650,429 Clark Nov. 22, 1927 1,729,988 Clark Oct. 1, 1929 2,137,622 Munro et al. Nov. 22, 1938 

